Gender Attitudes Across the Rural-Urban Divide: A Cross-National and Longitudinal Analysis Using ESS Data
About this Session
Time
Thu. 16.04. 15:55
Room
Lobby
Speaker
by Meret Lütolf, Alina Zumbrunn and Kajsa Kupferschmid
Understanding the persistence and transformation of gender attitudes is critical in addressing global gender inequality. This study investigates whether and how gender attitudes differ between rural and urban populations across Europe, using data from the European Social Survey (ESS) spanning multiple rounds from 2002 to 2022. The urban-rural divide has gained relevance in European political science in recent years, and its relationship with political attitudes on the GAL-TAN dimension has been shown time and again. It is therefore all the more surprising that its relationship with gender attitudes has been neglected until now. Drawing on a comparative approach, we analyze patterns across a diverse set of countries, capturing both regional variation and changes over time. Using multilevel modeling, we assess the extent to which the rural-urban divide correlates with more traditional or egalitarian gender beliefs, controlling for sociodemographic factors such as age, education, political orientation, and religiosity. Our preliminary findings reveal a persistent rural-urban gap in gender attitudes, with rural areas generally exhibiting more traditional views. However, this divide varies in magnitude and direction across countries and has shifted over time. These results suggest that the geographic context continues to shape gender ideology, though its influence is moderated by national sociopolitical dynamics and broader cultural change. This paper contributes to understanding how place and time intersect in shaping public opinion on gender roles, offering insights for policy efforts aimed at promoting gender equality in both urban and rural settings.
Understanding the persistence and transformation of gender attitudes is critical in addressing global gender inequality. This study investigates whether and how gender attitudes differ between rural and urban populations across Europe, using data from the European Social Survey (ESS) spanning multiple rounds from 2002 to 2022. The urban-rural divide has gained relevance in European political science in recent years, and its relationship with political attitudes on the GAL-TAN dimension has been shown time and again. It is therefore all the more surprising that its relationship with gender attitudes has been neglected until now. Drawing on a comparative approach, we analyze patterns across a diverse set of countries, capturing both regional variation and changes over time. Using multilevel modeling, we assess the extent to which the rural-urban divide correlates with more traditional or egalitarian gender beliefs, controlling for sociodemographic factors such as age, education, political orientation, and religiosity. Our preliminary findings reveal a persistent rural-urban gap in gender attitudes, with rural areas generally exhibiting more traditional views. However, this divide varies in magnitude and direction across countries and has shifted over time. These results suggest that the geographic context continues to shape gender ideology, though its influence is moderated by national sociopolitical dynamics and broader cultural change. This paper contributes to understanding how place and time intersect in shaping public opinion on gender roles, offering insights for policy efforts aimed at promoting gender equality in both urban and rural settings.